The Dad Lifehttps://pastorrickhermann.wordpress.com
These are some of my simple thoughts about life and faith.Wed, 21 Mar 2018 19:25:53 +0000enhourly1http://wordpress.com/https://s2.wp.com/i/buttonw-com.pngThe Dad Lifehttps://pastorrickhermann.wordpress.com
Down Syndrome, From Gut Punch To Gratitudehttps://pastorrickhermann.wordpress.com/2018/03/21/down-syndrome-from-gut-punch-to-gratitude/
https://pastorrickhermann.wordpress.com/2018/03/21/down-syndrome-from-gut-punch-to-gratitude/#respondWed, 21 Mar 2018 16:03:25 +0000http://pastorrickhermann.wordpress.com/?p=363Have you ever been hit really hard in the stomach? It is a terrible mixture of pain and the lack of ability to breathe. This is what it felt like the first time I got a good look at my fourth child when she was born.

My wife had a great delivery and I was the proud father with the camera recording. Our new baby girl cried and the nurses quickly whisked her over to clean her off. That’s when I saw her face the first time, that is when I felt the gut punch. Immediately I knew in my heart that my new daughter was different. With her little swollen face and her protruding tongue it was clear to me that she had Down syndrome. I knew the second gut punch would be coming in just a few seconds. The second gut punch would hurt worse than the first. It would come when they brought my new baby back to my wife. My wife is a nurse and I knew that right away she would see what I was seeing.

She held our sweet baby and looked at her and I saw her reaction as she felt the gut punch as well. She said with a quiver in her voice, “It looks like she has Downs.” That day, over 4 years ago is still very vivid in my mind. It was a hard day.

There are some scenarios that happen to other people but you never think they will happen to you…

And then they do.

We were now parents of a little girl named Joy who had Down syndrome. The initial shock passed quickly and we realized that Joy was a gift from God perfectly knit together in her mother’s womb. She was no accident. God gave us a little treasure that would change our future and the future of our family and extended family.

Fast forward to present day.

Our little Joy is such a bright light in this world. I look forward to her hugs and excitement every morning. She has made us all more caring, accepting and generally happier.

She touches lives all over the world with her smile and charisma. She is funny, happy, determined, opinionated and oh so caring.

To be real honest Down syndrome is not something we think about that much in our family. Joy is just part of our lives. She is just like all of our other children. Some things take her longer to learn but every milestone she hits is a mighty accomplishment that our family celebrates.

The day that Joy was born I shed a lot of tears for the loss of the child I thought I was getting. I cried because there were so many unknowns about the future. I still have tears come to my eyes on a regular basis but it is for different reasons. I have tears of Joy in my eyes. I have such gratitude and thankfulness to God that he would entrust my family with such a precious gift. I have tears that well up when I think about just how much love and value Joy adds to so many lives. Who am I that God would entrust with one of His most precious treasures?

Our family wants to help the world understand that Down syndrome is not a sentence to a life of misery but a sentence to a life of love. We want to spread awareness of the great abilities of the precious people in this world who happen to have Down syndrome.

If you have read this far then you must care about Joy and about children like her. Today is World Down Syndrome day and I want to tell you about one little boy who has Down syndrome named Justin that you can help.

Justin is an awesome little guy who lives in an orphanage in China. He doesn’t have a family to love him. He does have a family that wants him. Some very dear friends of mine are doing all they can to adopt Justin and bring him home. They need help to do this. International adoption is very expensive and they are trying to raise the resources to bring Justin home. Would you consider, on this special day making a real difference in the life of one little boy who has Down syndrome. If you can give to help with this adoption it would mean the world to this family and to Justin. Here is the link to the Go Fund Me Page.

Also if you could share this blog and help raise awareness for this need it would be greatly appreciated.

]]>https://pastorrickhermann.wordpress.com/2018/03/21/down-syndrome-from-gut-punch-to-gratitude/feed/0Screen Shot 2018-03-21 at 9.00.23 AMpastorrickhermannScreen Shot 2018-03-21 at 9.00.23 AM.pngThe Glamorous Life Of A Pastorhttps://pastorrickhermann.wordpress.com/2018/03/06/the-glamorous-life-of-a-pastor/
https://pastorrickhermann.wordpress.com/2018/03/06/the-glamorous-life-of-a-pastor/#commentsTue, 06 Mar 2018 11:37:36 +0000http://pastorrickhermann.wordpress.com/?p=354If you are wondering if God is calling you into a vocational ministry role then maybe this will help you.

I had a lot of dreams growing up of what I wanted to be. As a small child I wanted to be a professional football player. Size and skill would not make that possible. Then, I set my sights to be an artist or a comedian. I loved to draw and make people laugh. That didn’t work out either, but there was one career that was never on my radar.

I never wanted to be a pastor.

Not that being a pastor was a bad thing, I just saw pastors as people that weren’t real people. They had to live differently than everyone else. Growing up, my pastor was well known in the community, a strong leader and a wise sage all rolled into one. His career was not like other people who had normal jobs. He was set apart. He was my pastor. He was an honored man. The calling to be a pastor would have been like the calling to go to Mars. It just wasn’t something I saw myself ever doing. It wasn’t something I could ever see myself as worthy of doing.

It’s really interesting how God has a way of guiding your path. Growing up I went to church because my mom and dad loved Jesus and that’s just what we did. We never missed. I didn’t particularly like going to church, but when I was around 15 my Sunday School teacher, who was also one of my high school football coaches, told me one day out of the blue, “Hermann, you going to be a preacher one day.”

The seed was planted.

I had never once thought in my life about being a preacher but that little statement would be a mustard seed planted in my heart that would be watered in the coming years.

When I was 16, I begrudgingly went to church youth camp at my mom’s request.

It was at that camp that God really captured my heart.

It was during that week of my life that I gave God my “yes” to whatever He wanted from me.

It was at that camp that I heard that still small voice of God watering the seed of faith that was planted a year earlier from my coach.

I talked to my youth pastor and told him I thought God might be calling me into ministry. He committed with me to pray about it. I spent a year praying and asking God if that was what I was supposed to do. I returned to High school with a new passion to honor God with my life. I became friends with a guy I had known all my life but never really liked. His name was Carson. That summer Carson had a very similar experience at a different youth camp and was committed to being a pastor. Carson and I played football together against each other and we became inseparable friends. It’s neat how God does that. We helped lead our local Fellowship of Christian Athletes, Youth group, and we even started a morning bible study at the local McDonalds for other students to attend.

As time went by we went to junior college and Bible College together. Now I am 20 years down the road since those days in high school. Thanks to God’s mercy, Carson and I are both still Pastors. Carson is the pastor of a church in Wrens, Georgia and I am a staff pastor at a great church in Flowery Branch, Georgia.

Ministry is not at all what I had in mind at age 16. When I said yes to the call to ministry I thought I was saying yes to be a preacher. I wanted to boldly proclaim the word of God, like Billy Graham, and see thousands of people respond in faith to my great preaching. Well, it didn’t take long to find out that ministry is much different than what I had in mind. I have always loved to preach but preaching is a very small portion of what happens during the week. Preaching is what every pastor is passionate about and would do for free.

The ministry is so much more than preaching.

It’s hard.

It can be brutal and not many people last.

The average tenure for a pastor in America is less than 2 years! Ministry is not for the faint of heart.

Here are some things I have learned over the years of what ministry really looks like. If you are contemplating a life of serving Jesus in vocational ministry then you should take time to read this list and see if God has gifted and wired you to represent Him in vocational ministry. This is what they never told me.

No one told me that I would have to visit the house of a 12-year-old boy whose mother had just been murdered and try to help him find some kind of comfort.

No one told me that people would appear to love me and my family but would turn to despise us because I might do something that they didn’t agree with.

No one told me that Church people are mostly loving and amazing but there is a small pocket in every church that are mean as angry snakes and they will spew their venom towards the pastor. You still have to love those people.

No one told me that I would get to name a baby on a mission trip in India.

No one told me what it would be like to preach at churches in Haiti that were overcrowded and dark and dusty.

No one told me about having to beg a customs agent to let the mission team I was leading into Canada because of a misunderstanding.

No one told me what it would be like to be in the room of a person who is dying and looking to you for comfort and words of peace.

No one told me about how hard it would be to preach the funerals of those you deeply love.

No one told how much joy I would feel when I got to marry young couples that I had known for years.

No one told me the joy of watching those couples I married start families and teach their children about the love of Jesus.

No one told me about the endless phone calls, visits and emails to try to help plug people into the church.

No one told me how ministry would affect my family. No one told me that when people spoke ill of me it would hurt my wife twice as much as it hurt me. No one told me that my children would always have unrealistic expectations set on them by others simply because their dad was a pastor.

No one told me how hard it would be to visit a couple that I love who just delivered a stillborn child.

No one told me what it would be like to be sick in India and try to preach through sickness in a foreign country with an interpreter.

No one told me how hard it would be to see friends who you went to Bible College with become a statistic of pastors who didn’t make it.

No one told me how it would feel to know of 1000 needs and only be able to help a few.

No one told me what it would feel like to be robbed while on a mission trip in a third world country.

No one told me that my life would consist mostly of meetings to further the work of the ministry.

No one told me that my best work would not be done in the pulpit, but in the trenches of having hard conversations with people who needed someone to be honest with them.

No one told me of the heart wrenching conversations I would have with so many couples who were on the brink of divorce that were looking to me to help them keep it together.

No one told me how hard it is to deal with suicide, how hard it is to help a family that is so destroyed and broken and angry all at once.

No one told me how hard it would be to know the words to say to comfort broken people when I was the first on the scene after tragedy struck.

No one told me about the joy I would experience to see middle school students that I had the chance to invest in grow up and serve Jesus.

No one told me about the frustration and helplessness you can feel in a church business meeting.

No one told me of the joy I would receive when I would go to the hospital to meet new babies that were born.

No one told me about how much fun it would be to work together with people I love to see a big vision come together.

No one told me about the satisfying joy of seeing a family changed by the power of the gospel.

No one told me of the countless hours of study and continuing education it would take to be a pastor.

No one told me how I would wake up each day energized to go to work knowing that the Gospel I carry can change a person’s life.

No one told me that I would get to work with some of the world’s most awesome people.

No one told me how much the church would love and embrace my family and meet our every need.

No one told me how amazing it is to baptize a new believer.

There was so much I didn’t know…I couldn’t know.

I could go on and on for days about the up and downs of this hard calling to ministry. I was told not to get into ministry unless God would allow me to do nothing else. I was told not to do it unless I was sure I was called. The life of full time vocational ministry is not always easy, but it is always worth it! I would not trade it for the world.

I am so grateful to be called Pastor.

If you are considering a call of God on your life to be a pastor or Christian leader, I would encourage you to count the cost and then remember that Jesus is worth it all.

I have had many people ask me, “What is it that you do during the week?” Well, come spend a week with me and I will be glad to show you.

]]>https://pastorrickhermann.wordpress.com/2018/03/06/the-glamorous-life-of-a-pastor/feed/2Screen Shot 2018-03-06 at 3.34.22 AMpastorrickhermannScreen Shot 2018-03-06 at 3.34.22 AM.pngMaybe A Tweet Won’t Solve Mass Shootingshttps://pastorrickhermann.wordpress.com/2018/02/17/maybe-a-tweet-wont-solve-mass-shootings/
https://pastorrickhermann.wordpress.com/2018/02/17/maybe-a-tweet-wont-solve-mass-shootings/#commentsSat, 17 Feb 2018 13:23:36 +0000http://pastorrickhermann.wordpress.com/?p=348As everyone else in our country, I have been heartbroken and burdened over the latest school shooting in Florida that has left 17 dead. One of the most heartbreaking things in regards to this shooting was the lack of shock I felt. There have been so many mass shootings in the last few years that it has made me somewhat numb, almost expecting another one to happen.

To match heartbreak with frustration, enter social media. In a matter of minutes there is no lack of political pundits and celebrities chiming in with simple solutions to a complex problem. The answer to ending mass school shootings is gun control, they say. With emotional pleas from broken hearted parents who have just lost their children they say if you just ban “assault rifles” then all of this will stop.

I wish it were that easy. I wish congress could just pass a law that bans a certain type of firearm and then all the killings would end. However, if you grew up in the country, like me, then you know a semiautomatic weapon is what the media is referring to as an assault rifle. Pretty much every hunting rifle could fall under the category of assault rifle. The AR-15’s that the media likes to show pictures of just look more menacing because of the tactical shell in which they are cased. Wood hunting rifles that look less ominous can carry the same magazines and shoot just as many bullets in just as fast a time. To ban ‘assault rifles’ would mean that you ban pretty much every gun but a single shot, and I don’t see that happening. But if it would end children getting killed in our schools then I would be for it. If that were the simple solution…but it’s not.

The problem is much more complex and the answer to solving it much deeper than a law.

Young deranged white men do most mass shootings. I am sure all of these young men have some level of mental illness, but mental illness, like a cancer to the body, can be fed and fostered in a number of ways.

I think the problem goes deeper than just these young white deranged men. I think it flows broader into frustrated and angry young men in general. The man crisis in our culture is hitting critical mass and the fall out is not pretty.

We are reaping the harvest of a fatherless generation and I am afraid we are not yet at the tipping point.

As University of Virginia Professor Brad Wilcox pointed out back in 2013: “From shootings at MIT (i.e., the Tsarnaev brothers) to the University of Central Florida to the Ronald E. McNair Discovery Learning Academy in Decatur, Ga., nearly every shooting over the last year in Wikipedia’s ‘list of U.S. school attacks’ involved a young man whose parents divorced or never married in the first place.”

It’s not just these young white men who are struggling, they just find a way to show their angst against the world in a very public way by hurting as many innocent people as possible.

The effects of fatherlessness are epidemic in most communities in the United States.

I found this interesting, “Two of the strongest correlations with gun homicides are growing up in a fatherless household and dropping out of school, which itself is directly related to lack of an active or present father. There’s a direct correlation between fatherless children and teen violence. It’s no coincidence that, much like the number of fatherless children, the number of mass shootings has exploded since the 1960s. Throughout the entire 1960s, six mass shootings took place. That number doubled in 1970. Heck, 2012 alone saw more mass shootings than the sixties did.”

Without a father young men have no direction. When young men have no direction and purpose they move to extremes. They cut ties with what is traditional masculinity. They embrace a homosexual lifestyle or become transgender. There is a clear correlation with the rise of both of these lifestyles to the rise of fatherlessness. They grasp for their need to fit in and they don’t know how. The other extreme is to become violent, join a gang, become a criminal, or in extreme cases become a mass shooter. When men grow up with no father for an example they fill in the gaps on their own.

Everything in culture tells these men that they no longer have a place. In fact, for young white men the message is clear, you are the enemy. They are told that they are the problem. They are told they are part of the white patriarchy that oppresses everyone else. For fragile unguided minds that are already inclined to mental illness, they start to believe it, then they learn to hate the world, hate themselves, and hate being. They are full of anger and rage and instead of just ending their own lives they want to hurt others in the process. They want to be remembered as they feel they have been marginalized all of their lives. So they hurt others. They hurt as many as they can.

Fatherlessness is not the only factor involved. There are a number of other factors that I think we would be foolish to overlook:

Games – Most young teenage boys (especially white ones) spend countless hours shooting people virtually in very realistic games. It becomes second nature to them to pull the virtual trigger.

Movies and Shows – Have you heard of this little thing called Netflix? Countless hours of watching shows that have become increasingly more sickening, brutal and graphic. Young men are drawn to these shows about death and murder. There are tons of programs out there that actually show how real crimes were committed. Again these are fertilizers to a sick mind.

Social Media – Tells young men they do not measure up and allow them to connect with extremist groups that will fan the flame of their sickness. The rise of ‘alt’ left and ‘alt’ right groups has only increased the evil and hatred in the world.

Atheism – Atheism says you are the source for your morality. The Bible teaches that every person is born as a sinner. At our core we are not good, but evil. The cure to evil is repentance and faith in Jesus. As Christians we live in pursuit of a holy life as defined by the life of Jesus. He is our model and example. For the Atheist he is only accountable to his on set of morals, whatever he chooses. These morals are shaped by whatever he is putting into his mind (I.E. Games, movies, shows, social media) and deems as moral. We took God out of schools and have warned teachers not to mention faith. I imagine there are so many kids who could have found a better way, if only schools were allowed to offer it.

The devaluing of human life – We live in a culture that legally kills almost 400,000 babies a year. This permeates a society that says the highest value is whatever I desire, even if it means taking the life of others. If a mother can take her own child’s life then why should anyone else be limited?

Radical Feminism – This ideology teaches men that just for being born they are to be hated and despised.

This list is not meant to be exhaustive. I am sure there are a number of other factors that contribute to each mass shooting. I am sure each case has many individual nuances.

In my opinion the one big smoking gun is not the gun, it is the absence of a loving and guiding father in the home.

How do we stop mass shootings?

The answer is pretty simple, cross cultural, and long term.

This is a simple Bible answer: Don’t have sex until you’re married (this ends the need for abortion). When you are married, love your spouse. Stay married even when it’s hard. Raise your children to love God first and love their neighbors as themselves. Don’t leave when things get hard!

The answer may just be the family!

I can remember maybe 15 years ago hearing Dr. James Dobson saying something to the effect of, “when you destroy the family, you will destroy society as we know it.” The prophesy is unveiling before our eyes.

]]>https://pastorrickhermann.wordpress.com/2018/02/17/maybe-a-tweet-wont-solve-mass-shootings/feed/2Screen Shot 2018-02-17 at 5.21.29 AMpastorrickhermannScreen Shot 2018-02-17 at 5.21.29 AM.pngWhy Change?https://pastorrickhermann.wordpress.com/2018/02/06/why-change/
https://pastorrickhermann.wordpress.com/2018/02/06/why-change/#respondTue, 06 Feb 2018 14:17:53 +0000http://pastorrickhermann.wordpress.com/?p=339I’ve been fortunate to experience many cultures in the world. Most of the places I’ve been were on mission trips. It’s a humbling and frightening experience to go to a place a long way from your home and meet people you’ve never met before that think very unlike you.

I think the most dissimilar place I’ve been is India. The smell is the first thing you notice when you get off the plane. There is always the smell of smoke in the air (this is also true of Haiti). All the food is very spicy with tons of curry powder. The people of India have a head bobble that is not up and down but kind of all around and it can mean a number of different things. The people are so humble that few of them look you in the eye. Most of the people I met lived in extreme poverty. Many of the people had actual physical idols that they worshipped in their homes. There are millions of gods that are worshipped in India. The roads are chaotic, filled with cars, bikes, people, cows and anything else you can imagine. It’s hot, really hot.

In all of the diversity of this place the thing that stood out to me so clearly is all the things I had in common with the people if India. Finding common ground was not hard and when I met the people face to face I felt a great love for them. In order to tell them the message of Jesus I had to contextualize it.

I had to figure out a way to explain the Gospel message in a way that they could understand.

When I was preaching I couldn’t use the same American jokes. Those jokes didn’t make sense to them. They have a certain way to dress that is not like how I would normally dress. Our team prepared for months in advance learning little things about the culture so that we would not offend our hosts when we were there. At first it was uncomfortable to me because I had to change my preferences in order to connect with these wonderful people. I never really liked the food in India, but I ate it because our hosts, who had little to eat, gave it sacrificially. In the end, the value of the relationships I gained and the souls that were saved far outweighed the light and temporary afflictions I faced as a result of changing things that were preferential and normal to me.

This is really just what Paul said in 1 Corinthians 9: 19 “Even though I am a free man with no master, I have become a slave to all people to bring many to Christ. 20 When I was with the Jews, I lived like a Jew to bring the Jews to Christ. When I was with those who follow the Jewish law, I too lived under that law. Even though I am not subject to the law, I did this so I could bring to Christ those who are under the law.21 When I am with the Gentiles who do not follow the Jewish law, I too live apart from that law so I can bring them to Christ. But I do not ignore the law of God; I obey the law of Christ. 22 When I am with those who are weak, I share their weakness, for I want to bring the weak to Christ. Yes, I try to find common ground with everyone, doing everything I can to save some.23 I do everything to spread the Good News and share in its blessings.”

When we think of change in the context of being a missionary then it seems obvious that a change in our behavior and approach is needed. When we think of change in the context of the culture in which we live we cling to our preferences.

Why?

I can think of a couple of reasons:

First, we know that when we go on a mission trip it is usually short term so we endure change for a small season knowing we will go back to what is normal.

Second, and maybe more telling, we don’t see where we live as a mission field.We stop contextualizing and we just live. We stop reaching out to our culture and we start cursing the culture for being lost. We want them to be like us. We see our American Christian subculture crumbling before us. This frightens most long time Christians who’ve grown up in the south. Because of this we see our changing culture and the people in it as the enemy instead of the reason for the church.

I don’t like change unless it’s change I like. That may sound a little funny but here is what I mean. There are some changes I like but all the changes I like are the changes I dictate in my life. I usually don’t like change when I feel like I am losing something that is out of my control.

I have heard it said that people don’t fear change they fear loss.

I work at a church and I see this pretty often. Our church has been in a season of change and some people don’t like the changes. These are good people, many of who I look up to. These are Godly people but they like what they like and sometimes changes are just hard.

It is hard to like something and have it taken away. (certain traditions, musical style, buildings, programs, musical instruments, lighting, even names, etc…)

It is hard when the church is the central hub of your spiritual and social life and it changes on you.

It is hard when your preference is no longer the church’s emphasis.

These are all hard things, so…

Why Change?

The answer is pretty simple. We change in order to attempt to better reach people for Jesus.

Changing to chase a fad is a reckless.Changing to copy someone else is shallow.Changing out of personal preference is superficial.Changing to water down the message is sinful. Changing to upset people is wrong.

When it all gets down to the simplest level we change in order to honor God and reach people. As a Christian when we come to Christ we enter a season of change called sanctification. It’s the process of us becoming like Christ.

Less of me, more of Him.
Less of my wants, more obedience.
Less of my plans, more of His.

This whole process is very uncomfortable. Like the caterpillar struggling to free itself from its cocoon, we struggle to be more like Christ.

We change in order to reach people but where is the line? When is the change too much? When do we need to be afraid that the church is just becoming like the culture instead of reaching the culture? These are very important questions that church going Christian people should be asking.

I believe there are at least two simple lines.

The first is the scripture. Churches must never compromise or violate the scripture in order to reach people. The message never changes. If the church begins to water down the gospel then the church is in trouble.

The second is sin. Churches must not engage in sinful activities in order to reach sinners.Jesus modeled this perfectly. He was constantly around sinners yet without sin. Jesus preached to all who would listen, but only those who repented in faith became children of God. The church must open wide the doors for the message to be heard, but only those who repent and believe become part of the church.

The Apostle Paul was a man that knew about changing. He went from a Jew of Jews to a man called to reach the Gentile (Pagan) world. I am sure he had to do things that he never thought he would have to do. His life was constantly changing as he went from one area to another.

He was willing to do whatever it took to reach people for Christ. I know he was often criticized. Paul himself said, “There is a wide-open door for a great work here, although many oppose me.”

It is hard for all of us to accept change but we must be willing to ask the question of ourselves, “Am I struggling with the change because it is a deviation from scripture or leading our church to sin or am I struggling with change because I am losing my preference?”

It is ok to be upset that you lose something of the past that was precious to you, but remember that to live in the past prevents a better future.

Let’s struggle together as we see God’s church reach more people with the Gospel.

]]>https://pastorrickhermann.wordpress.com/2018/02/06/why-change/feed/0Screen Shot 2018-02-06 at 6.16.21 AMpastorrickhermannScreen Shot 2018-02-06 at 6.16.21 AMMy Daughter Rides The Short Bushttps://pastorrickhermann.wordpress.com/2018/02/03/my-daughter-rides-the-short-bus/
https://pastorrickhermann.wordpress.com/2018/02/03/my-daughter-rides-the-short-bus/#commentsSat, 03 Feb 2018 12:18:25 +0000http://pastorrickhermann.wordpress.com/?p=333The short bus is the bus that carries children with special needs to and from school. It’s short because each person on the bus needs some individual attention so the numbers of students on the bus are limited. When I was a kid growing up we made jokes about the short bus. When someone would do something senseless we might say they rode the short bus.

I never thought about the actual people on the short bus.

This week my daughter started riding the bus…the short bus.

You see as a kid I just did what all the other kids did. I made fun of those on the short bus. Those with special needs and those who are disabled are easy targets for ridicule by foolish young children. What we don’t understand we fear or mock.

Oh how my perspective has changed. Now I am a dad who has a daughter that rides the short bus. The short bus is different for me now. It is not filled with people to be made fun of; it is filled with treasure, the treasure of precious lives.

You see my daughter is ‘special.’ My daughter, Joy, has Down syndrome. I feel like Down syndrome is such a misunderstood word in our culture. Joy is so much more alike than different.

She is so wonderful I can’t adequately explain her. She wants to sit in my lap every morning and eat little bites. She brings books and puzzles to me each night to read and put together. She loves to sing and loves to dance. She loves when her sisters chase her around the house. She loves piggy back rides from her big brother as he runs as fast as he can with her on his back shouting, “Yay!!” She wakes up early before all of her siblings and she knocks on the door (because is has child lock that she cannot get out of) and she will yell, “DADDY!” until I go and let her out. She is very independent. She’s beautiful and loving. She is sooo loving. Last year in her preschool class she won the award for, “Best Hugger.” When her preschool class performs she steals the show with her sparkling personality. Parents of other kids her age that are in her class tell me often how their child loves Joy and constantly talks about her. I wouldn’t change a thing about Joy (well maybe her obstinance). She is so much more than a rider on the short bus.

Having a daughter with special needs has really taught me to look deeper into people then what is on the outside, or what diagnosis they have.

Having a daughter that rides the short bus has opened up my mind and heart to see the incredible people inside the short bus.

People who ride the short bus are strong. They have to overcome challenges that typical children do not have to overcome. Some of their challenges are physical, some are mental, some are emotional, and some have all three.

Mrs. Judy drives our short bus. She is a kind and loving woman. She has tried to get Joy on her bus for over a year, but truth be told, I just didn’t want to give her up. The bus would make my life easier but it means I don’t get mornings in the car with Joy. She told me she would put off retirement another year if I would give her Joy. Wow! Mrs. Judy gets it! She sees such value in each and every life that she carries on her “special” bus. She gives her heart and soul into investing into those little children. The first day Joy rode the bus Mrs. Judy had new clothes for her that she bought her (not your typical bus driver). Judy is a gem, but I believe she would tell you that those children give her more than she could ever give them. They give her their love.

I am so thankful for the Short Bus.

Can I give you a challenge today? Will you be careful to see every person as valuable?

The Bible teaches us that we are all made in the image of God. Every person has so much value and worth…if we would just take the time to see it.

]]>https://pastorrickhermann.wordpress.com/2018/02/03/my-daughter-rides-the-short-bus/feed/1Screen Shot 2018-02-03 at 4.08.42 AMpastorrickhermannSo You Think You Want A Big Family?https://pastorrickhermann.wordpress.com/2017/11/21/so-you-think-you-want-a-big-family/
https://pastorrickhermann.wordpress.com/2017/11/21/so-you-think-you-want-a-big-family/#commentsTue, 21 Nov 2017 15:05:57 +0000http://pastorrickhermann.wordpress.com/?p=319Not many people have big families anymore. People are waiting longer to have children and having fewer of them. There are a lot of reasons not to have a large family. Here are a few.

Children are expensive.

They are a strain on the environment.

There are no guarantees with children.

They are really expensive.

They take all of your time so you can’t do the things you want to do in life (travel, have anything nice, etc.)

The world is a wicked place so why bring kids into it.

Did I mention they are expensive?

When I was in a theology class in college my professor made a statement that caught my attention. He said something to the effect of, “Christians should have large families. Children, in the Bible were always seen as a blessing. God told Adam to fill the earth. God never took back His command to fill the earth.” Up until this point in time in my life I’d never really thought about how many children I should have. I just assumed two children was the magic number since that seemed to be how many everyone was having. But that day was kind of a light bulb moment in my life that changed how I thought about children. It is one thing that has largely shaped why I wanted a large family from that time on.

If you are one of those people who think you would like to have more than 3 kids then I want to give you a little dad insight as to what that might look like.

My wife and I now have 5 children. I think we would qualify as a big family. Here are some observations about having a big family you should consider.

CHAOS – Big families must be willing to embrace chaos. One of our family logos is “Embrace the Chaos.” If you have to be in control of every situation a big family will crush you. Somebody in the family is always going to be crying, complaining, need something, hungry, sick or all of the above at all hours of the day. Just embrace it.

FAILURE – If you have a big family you have to learn to accept failure, personal failure. When you have one child you are very likely to be a close to perfect parent. You feel guilty if you forget any little thing. You try so hard to make sure your child is perfect, hitting every milestone before the other children. With your first child if they drop food on the floor you scold them if they pick it up to eat it. By the time a fifth child rolls around you scold a child that drops food and picks it up and throws it away because that is wasteful. Because of the size of the family your perspective changes. The demands of 5 children are sometimes overwhelming and it is often that a project is not complete; a child did not get a bath, a form for school was not signed or a recital was missed. Failure is part of it. You must learn to get over it and move on or parent guilt will crush you.

NO PRIVACY – Don’t be shocked to see fingers under the door when you are having a moment of solace in the bathroom. If you ever want to take a shower then you have to do it with a child in a car seat staring up at you. Don’t you dare try to see something on your phone without showing your kids. Kids are super nosey and they no nothing of boundaries.

NO SLEEP – Just write off a few years of your life when it comes to the sleep department.

SICKNESS – Big families share stuff…everything.

EXPENSE – You can’t eat out much because a meal with the family equals a small car payment. Children play sports, go to the doctor, need dental work/braces, and it all adds up. It feels like every dollar that comes in pretty much goes out. It is very difficult to travel because adding a family of 7 to someone else’s family can be quite the inconvenience.

I am not going to lie; having a big family is hard. Every night my wife and I go to bed completely exhausted.

While having a big family is hard I cant imagine there is anything better in the world than having a big family.

SO MUCH LOVE —- I mean big love. I have little girls that tell me multiple times every day how much they love me. Hugs and kisses till you can’t stand them anymore. The absolute joy of walking in the house and having a bunch of children screaming, “Daddy!!” in delight as they knock you over with hugs! SO MUCH LOVE!

TEAMWORK – I always wondered how the Duggars did it with 19 children. The older I get the more I understand. The older your kids get the more of a help they become. You just have to train them. The 10 year old takes out the trash, feeds the dog, cleans his rooms, vacuums, and watches his baby sisters. The Twin 7 year olds change diapers, wash clothes, clean their room, cook and do the dishes. The 3 year old…destroys everything (I call her the destroyer). They may not do it perfectly but every family member pitches in to make life manageable.

PERSONAL RESPONSIBILITY – My children know that they are responsible for their schoolwork and homework. If they need something signed they must remind us. We do not remind them.

LAUGHTER – We laugh SO much! Kids are so funny. They are so full of joy and the wonder of life. Kids are always performing and cracking some kind of joke.

WHEN I GET OLD – One day when I get old, if the Lord allows, I want people around me. I want so many grandkids that I cannot remember their names. I know I will have a son and daughters that will take care of their mom and dad when we are sick or on our deathbed. So yeah, it’s selfish, but I want people to love me in the end. At the end of life people want those they love around them. The investments that last are the investments in people. When life is coming to an end you never think, man I wish I had more money to bring me comfort.

LITTLE WORLD CHANGERS – Ultimately our decision to have a large family was a spiritual one. We knew it would not be easy but we also knew that the Bible teaches us that children are a blessing from God. There is no greater joy than to see my children growing up and embracing Jesus. To see them pray and serve others is perhaps life’s greatest fulfillment.

If you are thinking about having a big family I will leave you with this, it is hard but IT IS WORTH IT! Now if you are physically able go make some babies, or go adopt some!

Christians are saturated by thousands of blogs, articles, and thoughts about what is ok and not ok to do and be in our day. One of the more dangerous false teachings I see creeping into the American Christian world is what I want to call the Theology of Emotion.

Theology simply means the study of God. Our culture is increasingly a generation of Christians that are basing their beliefs about God more heavily on how they feel than what God has revealed about Himself through the Bible.

If you need examples of this just go talk to most young Christians and ask them if they think living together before marriage is wrong. Or ask them if they think homosexuality is wrong. It seems that many who claim Christianity today are more concerned with how they feel about something than what God has said in the Bible about it.

Don’t get me wrong emotions are a great and powerful driver. Emotions are the great catalyst to actions. I love so many passionate movements going on in the Christian community such as the “End It” movement to end sex trafficking. I love the pregnancy care centers that are all over our nation that provide options to mothers who feel like they have no options. I love the push for Christian families to be involved in foster care and adoption. These are great pictures of how God uses our emotional heartstrings to rally us around causes that are close to His heart.

If we do not feel then we do not care and we are never moved to action.

Emotions are great motivators but bad decision makers.

When we allow how we feel about any certain issue to supersede what God has revealed we become our own god and no longer trust Jesus as the authority.

One recent example I read was in an interview with popular Christian author Jen Hatmaker. I know many women in my church that love her books. Most of what she writes is helpful and beneficial. But when I read her recent comments on the homosexual community I was taken back.

Here is what she said, “From a spiritual perspective, since gay marriage is legal in all 50 states, our communities have plenty of gay couples who, just like the rest of us, need marriage support and parenting help and Christian community. They are either going to find those resources in the church or they are not. Not only are these our neighbors and friends, but they are brothers and sisters in Christ. They are adopted into the same family as the rest of us, and the church hasn’t treated the LGBT community like family. We have to do better.”

I find her statements very disturbing. The Christian community has the biblical mandate and responsibility to love and minister to every person, red, yellow, black, white, male, female, straight, gay, confused or other. But what she says takes this to another level. She is taking people who embrace a life and identity that God clearly defined in scripture as a direct rebellion against Him, and associates those who embrace that lifestyle as a fellow believer in Christ.

This is anti-biblical to the core. Jesus is so clear that when we become His followers we sign away all of our personal rights. We become willful slaves of Christ. Here are the words of Jesus, “If anyone would come after me, let him deny himself and take up his cross daily and follow me.” (Luke 9:23)

Those selfish acts of rebellion no longer characterize our life. We willingly choose to deny what may seem pleasurable and best to us in order to follow what Jesus says is best.

The Apostle Peter said it this way,

“So then, since Christ suffered physical pain, you must arm yourselves with the same attitude he had, and be ready to suffer, too. For if you have suffered physically for Christ, you have finished with sin. You won’t spend the rest of your lives chasing your own desires, but you will be anxious to do the will of God. You have had enough in the past of the evil things that godless people enjoy—their immorality and lust, their feasting and drunkenness and wild parties, and their terrible worship of idols.” (1 Peter 4:1-3)

Dietrich Bonheoffer said so clearly, “the call to follow Christ is a call to die.”

My goal is not to throw stones at Jen Hatmaker or even those who identify as LGBT. The goal is to expose a larger problem that is a bitter root in the tree of American Theology. It is the idea that we can change our theology to match the spirit and feeling of the day. The beauty of the scripture is that it is unchanging. No matter how we feel about an issue we yield to Christ. We do not seek to make the scripture fit our feelings. This applies to all of us! This is no indictment on any particular sin. It is prerequisite for all of us. I make my kids take off their shoes before they come in the house. We must shed ourselves of all of our sins when we come to Christ.

When we come to Christ we do not have the option of holding on to any sin. Our identity is no longer found in our activity but in our Savior. The sex addict can come to Christ, but he must repent and turn away from his sex addiction. The thief can come to Christ but he is no longer a thief, he now seeks to look like his Savior. He goes from taker to giver. The idol worshipper can come to Christ but he cannot bring his idol with him. He must destroy it. The homosexual can come to Christ but he no longer identifies as a homosexual. My point is not to say that Jesus followers will no longer struggle with their sin but that they will STRUGGLE. They will embrace the internal battle that is going on inside of them. They will not give themselves over to the sins of their past. The Holy Spirit inside of them will no longer allow them to be happy in their sin.

Adrian Rogers once said, “Our feelings are the most shallow part of us. God does not do His deepest work in our most shallow part.”

If you are a follower of Christ I would challenge you to read your bible more than you read the latest Christian book. Remember that if something has been true for 2000 years of the Christian faith then God is not going to suddenly change His mind because the culture now embraces some particular sin. The call of the Christian life is a call of self sacrifice. It is a call to lay our sins down and lay our lives down for others.

Let’s not make a golden image of god in the likeness of the American culture of our day. The world says that we should be happy and we find happiness when we do what makes us feel good. The word of God teaches us that we should seek holiness. When we seek to be holy, only then do we find happiness. Happiness in the Christian life is not the goal but the by-product. It’s not found in sin but often found in service. Happiness can be briefly experienced in the passing pleasures of sin, but that kind of happiness will quickly leave you empty again. Real happiness can only last in the conscious surrender of ourselves to Christ and His calling on our lives. Get your theology from the Bible and not from your heart.

]]>https://pastorrickhermann.wordpress.com/2016/10/27/the-theology-of-emotion/feed/3pastorrickhermannscreen-shot-2016-10-27-at-10-41-27-amDoes The Church Still Need Youth Pastors?https://pastorrickhermann.wordpress.com/2016/10/18/does-the-church-still-need-youth-pastors/
https://pastorrickhermann.wordpress.com/2016/10/18/does-the-church-still-need-youth-pastors/#respondTue, 18 Oct 2016 12:56:54 +0000http://pastorrickhermann.wordpress.com/?p=296Student Pastors today have pretty much become their own breed of pastor. They are hip and cool. Most of them come equipped with a goatee, hip hairdo, cool man bag, iphone, ipad, some type of Biblical tattoo in Hebrew or Greek, and a guitar. I am not making fun (well sort of) because I was a youth pastor for 8 years. My high school youth pastor made a big difference in my life, but as I have thought about it, I think student ministry has become something that has gotten away from the Biblical model. Here are a few dangers I think student ministers should watch out for:

Student Ministry Should Not Create A Separate Church

It seems that most things that happen in church life today separate the family instead of bringing them together. We come to church and we all go to our different divisions and we will see each other around lunchtime. The Bible is clear that worship is a family thing, so why do we work so hard to split families up? I think much of the church planting movement in America today is birthed out of a generation that wants their church to be their student ministry. People my age who grew up in student ministry with a band and a “relevant” teacher now refuse to worship with “old” people that sing the “awful Hymns.” Are we reaching the lost or simply dividing the church more by creating churches of student ministries that have grown up? My generation has so much to learn from the previous generation. We need to be careful not to lose the Godly heritage that came before us.

Student Pastors Are Not Paid Entertainers

So many youth pastors keep a full calendar with bowling, movies, 5th quarters, amusement parks, and a host of other activities. Most of these activities have little significance. We always filed them under the “fellowship” banner. You are there to help students know Jesus Christ and become more like Him. There is a great pressure in student ministry to be a glorified babysitter to teenagers. Don’t be that guy.

What Should Student Pastors Do?

Model the Way

If you want your students to go to the next level in their faith then you need to already be at the level you want them to attain. Never expect them to witness more than you do. Never expect them to have a better quiet time then you do. As a leader it implies that you are out in front of them and are giving them an example to follow. Never expect what you are not first willing to do.

Empower the Parents

My first few years of student ministry I saw parents as kind of a hindrance to “my” ministry. I mean they did not know kids like I knew them and they threw cold water on so many of my “brilliant ideas” (like putting bananas in a toilet and blind folding kids and making them fish them out). The specific position of “Youth Minister” cannot be found in the pages of the Bible. I am not saying there is not a need for them, but I am saying the scripture is clear that God has put the responsibility of the next generation of faith primarily on the shoulders of the parents. (See Deuteronomy 6). The more you can get parents involved and get them to teach their teenagers the better. As a youth pastor, I spent a lot of time investing in a lot of kids. As I look back at all the students that I invested in there is a common theme. The kids who had Godly parents are still walking with Jesus. The kids who did not have Godly parents for the most part are living for themselves.

Give Students Big Bold Challenges

I find that this generation is under challenged. Challenge them with changing the world with the gospel and giving their lives for the gospel. This is a radical generation that wants something real and is willing to give their lives’ for it. When you give them the challenge to change the world give them some practical ways to do it in their school and their neighborhoods. If you expect little you will get little. I believe that this generation is hungry to do something big. Don’t sell them short with messages about having a positive self-image and recycling. Tell them about tribes that have yet to hear the message of Jesus and are hell bound unless someone goes to tell them. Ask them to be the person who reaches them.

Teach Them The Bible

While most of this generation is hungry for something real they are also very emotional. They have little Biblical and theological depth. They need to learn the word of God. It is the only thing that can truly change their lives and give them hope. Don’t give them an hour-long worship service with smoke, lights, and a “killer band” with a 15-minute devotion. Give them the word of God. Teach them how to study the scripture on their own and help them learn how to apply it to their daily lives. Take them through books of the Bible and show how the entire Bible points to the Gospel and to Jesus.

Don’t Be Afraid To Get Up In Their Business

As a youth leader you need to love the students and have a strong relationship with them. You need to know them well enough where you can talk to them about issues in their lives they are having. Remember what they tell you. Ask them about their tests, games, relationships, etc. You cannot do ministry from afar. I was always “up in my students business.” Sometimes they did not like how honest I was with them about everything from relationships to attitudes. But, for the most part those students later appreciated my honesty. Sometimes loving your kids will mean you have to tell them a harsh truth about themselves or their actions that they do not want to hear. This will make you unpopular for the moment. Which leads to my next point:

You Are Called To Be Their Pastor, Not Their BFF

Never forget you are there to help them grow as people and sometimes that will require being their leader and not their friend. Many youth pastors and leaders make the mistake of giving the youth the impression that they are best friends to the students. Student ministry is not about being a cool older guy that teaches teenagers. (This is actually quite pathetic if you think about it. It is like the 30 year old that is still trying to live out his youth at high school field parties.) Your relationship to students needs to be closer to a parent/child than friend/friend. You are there to guide them and not just be a shoulder to cry on. If they do not respect you as a leader they will not listen to what you have to tell them.

]]>https://pastorrickhermann.wordpress.com/2016/10/18/does-the-church-still-need-youth-pastors/feed/0pastorrickhermannscreen-shot-2016-10-18-at-8-55-31-amWhether Hillary Or Donald, I Am Not Moving To Canadahttps://pastorrickhermann.wordpress.com/2016/10/15/whether-hillary-or-donald-i-am-not-moving-to-canada/
https://pastorrickhermann.wordpress.com/2016/10/15/whether-hillary-or-donald-i-am-not-moving-to-canada/#respondSat, 15 Oct 2016 13:15:34 +0000http://pastorrickhermann.wordpress.com/?p=286Canada is cold and they talk funny…eh.

As the election year has drawn on and seems to never end most of the American public is growing very weary. This has proved to be an election of the lesser of two evils. I don’t think either party is particularly proud of their candidate. But here we are with the choice between a colonoscopy and a root canal.

Elections matter but in God’s great cosmic plan they don’t matter as much as most people think.

I vote to end abortion. I vote because I love the foundation of the country in which I was raised. But this election has been clearer than any election to show Christian people in America that our hope is not in our country and our hope is certainly not in our politicians.

The worst thing that has come out of this election is not the scandals that plague the Clinton camp or the indiscretions of a billionaire. I don’t think that any of the scandals that have come out have truly surprised anyone. I think both sides manufacture surprise in order to hate their opponent and get more votes. No, I think the worst thing that has come out (or perhaps the best thing that has come out) is a revelation of the soul of the Evangelical church in America.

I have felt very let down by some of my faith heroes. I have seen many men that I have looked up to and read their books quickly throw their support behind a man that embodies much of the “Spirit of the World.” I understand that we are not electing a pastor or a Sunday School teacher, but it is the hypocrisy that has hurt the most. For years the church has claimed that morality matters. We have stood against immorality. It seems that so many leaders had already jumped on the Trump train that they are now riding it over the cliff. To be real honest I despise what Hillary Clinton stands for. She promotes evil at its very core. For a candidate to say in a debate that she will appoint Supreme Court Justices that will uphold abortion and the marriage of same sex couples is troubling to me. To murder children and dismantle the foundation of home life will continue the moral decline our country is in.

While I may agree with more of Donald Trump’s policy positions I will not try to defend his indefensible behavior. He is full of himself and is a man that, no matter how you cut it, has a problem with how he treats women. They seem to be more like property to him than people. Women are just another commodity that he can buy and sell.

So what? What are Christian to do?

I would not tell you who to vote for. I hope you pray through that and God leads you to the right decision. I think there are some lessons God’s church must learn from this election.

It Is Not In Likeness With Christ To Desire To See That Other Side Suffer — I have seen so much hatred come out of Christian people over this election. People want Hillary to “get what she deserves” or they want Donald to be “taken out.” These attitudes are nowhere to be found in the words of Christ. Jesus taught us to love our enemies and pray for those who persecute us. Romans 12 tells us to bless and do not curse those who persecute you. The Bible also tells us not to repay evil with evil but evil with good. We never win over opposition by continuing to shout back at people that disagree with us. American Christians seem to be looking for a fight. They want someone to lose. Jesus told us that we are to lay down our lives for others. That was the model He chose. He changed the world not by the sword but by His death.

You Can Disagree With Someone And Still Be Their Friend — So many people get hatred in their heart for others when they find out they are supporting a candidate that is different than their own. It’s OK. You can disagree with people and not get mad. So you don’t understand how someone can have a view different than your own. You can still be kind to them. There is never a good reason for a Christian to be unkind.

The Sun Will Rise The Morning After — It may make you sick to have to say President _____________________ is now in office. I can pretty much assure you that the sun will still rise. Your spouse will still love you. Your children will still need you. Just because the Country may be going to hell does not mean that you have to. If the good Ole USA gets further away from Jesus as a Nation it doesn’t require you to get further away from Him as a person. In fact, I would argue just the opposite. When we are squeezed what is in us comes out. If we are Christ followers the aroma of Christ will come out as times get harder and the culture in general goes farther away from the teachings of Jesus. It may be harder to be a Christian but throughout history the church has always grown and flourished in times of persecution. So the day after the election I recommend you get up, read your bible, pray, kiss your spouse, hug your babies and love your neighbor. No matter what happens on the outside, NO ONE can change Christ in you.

When Something Is Evil Call It Evil — What a depressing day when Christians try to defend that which God will not defend. Better yet, when we try to defend that which God calls us to speak out against. Objectifying and groping women is wrong. Lying and committing treason is wrong. Killing babies is wrong. Just say it and don’t try to act like because your candidate did it that somehow makes it ok.

When a new day was coming in Israel God told Joshua to not be afraid. He was not to be afraid because God was with him. In Psalm 56:11 the Psalmist says, “In God I trust; I shall not be afraid. What can man do to me?”

2 Timothy 1:7 “For God has not given us a spirit of fear but of power and love and self control.”

Christian you need not fear the future because this election is in the hands of God. He is the one that allows politicians to rise and fall. He did not put the USA in His Bible. There will be a time our nation will fall. I hope it is not soon, but I trust the Lord that as for me and my house we will serve the Lord. We may lose everything but no one can take the greatest treasure, because He is in us.

]]>https://pastorrickhermann.wordpress.com/2016/10/15/whether-hillary-or-donald-i-am-not-moving-to-canada/feed/0pastorrickhermannscreen-shot-2016-10-15-at-8-10-35-amFeel The Beat Of The Rhythm Of The…Familyhttps://pastorrickhermann.wordpress.com/2016/10/11/feel-the-beat-of-the-rhythm-of-thefamily/
https://pastorrickhermann.wordpress.com/2016/10/11/feel-the-beat-of-the-rhythm-of-thefamily/#respondTue, 11 Oct 2016 13:50:36 +0000http://pastorrickhermann.wordpress.com/?p=268A few times a year our church dedicates babies to the Lord and as a pastor at our church this gives me the opportunity to meet with every family one on one to talk about their spiritual lives. One question I ask is, “What is the biggest obstacle to the spiritual growth of your marriage and family?” I have found that in almost every young family the answer is the same. It’s not infidelity. It’s not abuse. It’s not anger issues.

The biggest struggle most young families have is being too busy!

Almost every young mom and dad are really struggling to balance their work life and their home life. They want to be a good spouse and good parent but they feel like they are pulled in every direction. They are doing so much and yet they feel like they are failing at everything.

I can sure relate to this struggle. Juggling a marriage, busy career, and 4 small children is no easy task. My wife and I both feel overwhelmed on a daily basis.

“How can a family that is struggling to survive raise children that thrive spiritually and emotionally?”

I am not claiming that I have figured this out. I am still in the process of raising young children and identify with the struggle. I want to offer some insight that I have found to be helpful.

Your life needs a rhythm.

Your family needs a rhythm.

Rhythm in music is beats in a pattern. Rhythm in your home is life in a pattern.

Perhaps one of the greatest scriptures on parenting is in Deuteronomy

6:5 “And you must love the Lord your God with all your heart, all your soul, and all your strength. 6 And you must commit yourselves wholeheartedly to these commands that I am giving you today. 7 Repeat them again and again to your children. Talk about them when you are at home and when you are on the road, when you are going to bed and when you are getting up. 8 Tie them to your hands and wear them on your forehead as reminders. 9 Write them on the doorposts of your house and on your gates.”

I love this scripture because it gives the repetitive nature of family life. The author says we are to repeat it again and again.

It is in the repetition of parenting that we shape our children. It is in these daily and weekly life rhythms that the character of our children is being formed.

Even our best days as parents are filled with guilt and shame. We feel like we should have been more patient, kind, helpful, caring, understanding, calm…and the list goes on. The guilt can eat at our souls and if we let it, can undermine our future parenting.

I want to encourage you as in Deuteronomy 6 to build family rhythms into your home. Make the mundane of your daily life a weekly song that your children learn to thrive in.

I fail daily but here are a few rhythms in our home.

Daily Car Ride To School – It would be easier for me to put them on the bus. It would cause me less stress in the mornings but I choose to wait in carline and drop them off. Why? Well a few reasons. 1) I rode the bus to school and was informed about sex at age 7 by a much older boy (It was misinformation). I want to keep my children from these type experiences. 2) I don’t get much time with them each day. This gives me focused time that they are in close proximity. 3) Every day we quote scripture and pray for one another as they leave the car. We also listen to loud music and dance. Sometimes we cry as well (because someone is pulling hair, touch someone else, forgot their homework, etc…)

Taco Tuesday – Tuesdays can be mundane. Tacos fix that! I think this is more for me than the kids

Wednesday Night Is Church Night – Our kids know that every Wednesday they will go to church. They love it and can’t wait to go

Homework And Rooms Clean Before We Play Outside – Every weekday (except Friday) my children know that before they can play outside or do anything fun they have to do their homework and clean their rooms. This is a clear rule and helps them know that play is important but it comes after work.

Dinner As A Family 3-4 Times A Week – I love dinner table time. We always ask our kids questions that force them to answer with more than one word. We also try to ask questions that help them see how good God was to them that day.

Fun Friday – I think Friday is their favorite day. If they get good marks in school for behavior all week then when we pick them up from school they get to go to the Dollar Tree and pick out ANY one thing they want. It costs us a whopping $4 a week but the kids can’t wait for this trip. We also usually eat something unhealthy and watch a family movie on Fridays.

Worship On Sunday – Since I work as a pastor at a church my kids spend a lot of time at the church building. We are always excited to go to church and the kids love Sunday’s

Bedtime Prayers – Every night we tuck the kids in and pray with them. This might be the most important time of the day. My older girls will refuse to go to bed until I pray with them. No matter how tired I am, this happens every night

Family Walks – I need exercise and the kids need to be outside. My three older kids are now all riding their bikes so this provides a great opportunity to be in nature and talk with the kids.

Individual Time – If you have more than one child you must build into your family rhythms one on one time. I let one child every week sit in my office with me for a couple of hours. I would think this is boring as I require them to be quiet. I let them play a game on my ipad and they just love coming to the church office and hanging with dad. It doesn’t hurt that we always have some leftover goodies from a church event in the office.

I don’t know what beats your family plays but I do know it is the rhythms of family life that will shape your children. I encourage you to make a beautiful song.